Health Minister Abdullah Nazim has said that the government’s measures against the tobacco epidemic are receiving public support.
Speaking at a press conference held today at the Roshani Building, Nazim said that many citizens are supporting the government’s measures to save the country from the tobacco epidemic.
“In my view, from the scenes we see today and from the meetings we have held, parents and Maldivian citizens in general are very welcoming of this. They have been calling on the government through various media and platforms to take such measures. That’s one reason why the government decided to proceed with this so quickly. Another reason is that President Mohamed Muizzu’s manifesto has a very important agenda for health prevention, there are very important promises, and to fulfill those promises, implementing this as one of the most important tasks, as one of the biggest challenges to the health system is this tobacco issue. So there is a lot of public enthusiasm for this,” Nazim said.
Nazim said that although there are challenges in implementing tobacco control measures, he is hopeful that they will be further strengthened in the future as they are progressing under the direct supervision of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu. The Minister also said that such implementation challenges are faced by all countries in the world.
The Minister further said that many people are waiting for the government to take additional steps to solve the problem of tobacco use. He also noted that banning the import of electronic cigarettes and vape-related devices to the Maldives under the Tobacco Control Act is one such measure.
President Dr. Muizzu has decided in the cabinet to establish cessation services throughout the Maldives to provide assistance to those who are addicted to tobacco use and want to quit. Nazim said that the work of training people to provide this service is progressing very rapidly. He also said that many other things have been planned and organized.
